본 연구는 구급대원의 감염관리에 대한 지식과 실천도 실태를 파악하기 위해 경기도, 강원도, 충남, 충북, 대전시 52개 소방서에서 근무하는 구급대원 총 336명을 대상으로 2007년 5월에 설문조사를 하였다. 감염방지 지침서를 소유하고 있다가 69명(20.7%)이었으며, 개인보호기구는 장갑을 가장 많이 사용(289명, 86.5%), 신체소독은 알코올 소독이 208명(63.8%)으로 가장 많았으며, 장비소독은 비눗물 세척 78명(23.4%)으로 나타났고, 병원 전 단계 감염교육의 필요성을 느끼는 구급대원은 311명(92.5%)이었다. 감염에 노출되었을 때 조치는 상처 소독이 124명(36.9%), 처치 안 한다가 71명(21.1%), 병원 방문 42명(12.5%), 무응답 99명(29.4%) 순으로 나타났다. 이상을 종합해 보면 감염예방지침 실천이 잘 안 되는 가장 큰 이유에서 감염예방 물품지원과 보호구 지원 등이 미흡하여 수행도가 낮음을 알 수 있었으며, 따라서 충분한 감염예방 물품지원이 필요하고 병원 전 단계에서도 감염관리 정책을 관리하고 연구하여 효과적인 감염관리교육 및 감염관리 감독활동이 필요하다.

This study was designed to provide data on how an EMT can control pre-hospital infections in his patients. The tool for the study was a structured question that included five items for general characteristics, seven items for equipment infection control, and seven items for EMT infection control. Cronbach's alpha=.91 was a performance measuring tool as the result of the examination of the reliability of this study. This study applied a questionnaire survey to total 336 EMTs at fire stations in the Kyunggi Province, Kangwon Province, Chungnam and Chungbuk Province, and Daejeon City. The followings are summaries of the results of study. The average data on the infection control group was 3.37+-1.25 and the average of the practice group was 3.10+-1.78, showing a meaningful statistical difference (t=15.17, p<.000). Throughout all domains, the data means were higher than the practice means. In particular, infection control was the domain of significant differences between knowledge and practices. Further work should be done to manage and study infection control policies even at the pre-hospital level in an effort to increase effective infection control, education and related activities. We should offer more systematical and practical educational programs for them to acquire the methods for infection control and to apply them.

This study was designed to provide data on how an EMT can control pre-hospital infections in his patients. The tool for the study was a structured question that included five items for general characteristics, seven items for equipment infection control, and seven items for EMT infection control. Cronbach's alpha=.91 was a performance measuring tool as the result of the examination of the reliability of this study. This study applied a questionnaire survey to total 336 EMTs at fire stations in the Kyunggi Province, Kangwon Province, Chungnam and Chungbuk Province, and Daejeon City. The followings are summaries of the results of study. The average data on the infection control group was 3.37+-1.25 and the average of the practice group was 3.10+-1.78, showing a meaningful statistical difference (t=15.17, p<.000). Throughout all domains, the data means were higher than the practice means. In particular, infection control was the domain of significant differences between knowledge and practices. Further work should be done to manage and study infection control policies even at the pre-hospital level in an effort to increase effective infection control, education and related activities. We should offer more systematical and practical educational programs for them to acquire the methods for infection control and to apply them.

EMT, Pre-hospital infections, Infection control, Practical educational programs